Tech, Autos, & Gear in Layman's Terms Since 2006

In the summer of 2011 I penned an article centered around my daily struggles driving (and living with) an electric vehicle. I was testing a Chevrolet Volt Extended-Range Electric Vehicle and if you recall, I could not find anywhere to recharge my test unit but, in less than a year, my how things have changed.

I still don’t have a home charging station but there are four public spots at the office building I frequent, two at the nearby shopping village, and I see so many popping up all over the area now. And next to those EV spaces at work is a wind generator and up on the rooftop are solar panel arrays. Yes, even here in Texas, where some of us still slaughter our own dinner every once in a while, things are really “greening” up.

Image courtesy General Motors

And there is a community in Austin, Texas that is said to be the highest concentration of EVs and is the center of a demonstration project studying the smart grid and sustainable living in a modern community, with OnStar and General Motors partnering in the project.

Early on, GM made 100 Chevy Volts available to residents of the 700-acre community and over the next five years researchers will study up to 1,000 residences in that area to learn how they interact with the grid.

Image courtesy General Motors

More than a third of the homes have rooftop solar collectors so researchers will be looking at how this allows Volt owners to charge their vehicles in a new, cost-effective way while relieving some burden from the already overloaded electric grid.

During last year’s historic drought in Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), who manages the grid, predicted future power outages if energy producers do not put more power plants online and soon. Adding plug-in vehicles to that grid each evening will only exacerbate the problem if alternatives are not found and with apps such as the OnStar Smart Grid API Volt owners can manage when their vehicles are recharged such as during non-peak hours (which, for many, equates to lower rates).

Image by Author

As the saying goes, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” There is still a long way to go but things are greening up and communities like the one in Austin may very well dictate the future of suburbia in America and a vehicle like the Chevy Volt could be the epitome of “One in every garage.”

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David was editor of AutoworldToday at Today Newspapers in the Dallas suburbs until its closing in 2009. He was also webmaster and photographer/videographer. He got started doing photography for the newspaper while working as a firefighter/paramedic in one of his towns, and began working for the newspaper group full-time in 1992.
David entered automotive journalism in 1998 and became AutoworldToday editor in 2002. On the average, he drives some 100 new vehicles each year. He enjoys the great outdoors and as an avid fly fisherman, as is his spouse Tish. He especially enjoys nature photography and is inspired by the works of Ansel Adams.